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16 oz or 20 oz claw hammer for the nails you drive

Updated: 23 October 2026

A 16 oz claw hammer and a 20 oz claw hammer are head weights, not the weight of the whole tool. A 16 oz head is the usual choice for doors, skirting and ordinary nails in a UK home. A 20 oz head is for longer nails you drive often, and a miss with that head hits harder. Eight ounces does not belong in the middle of this choice. The listings are on the [hammer comparison](/hub/hand-tools/hammer). Peter F. updated this on 22 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk shelf prices. We did not weigh the hammers. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A 16 oz claw hammer and a 20 oz claw hammer are head weights, not the weight of the whole tool. A 16 oz head is the usual choice for doors, skirting and ordinary nails in a UK home.

Our top picks

Estwing Estwing E16C 16 oz leather grip

Best overall

Estwing Estwing E16C 16 oz leather grip
9.4/10about £37.00
View offer
Roughneck Roughneck Gorilla ROU11010 20 oz

Rank 2

Roughneck Roughneck Gorilla ROU11010 20 oz
9.4/10about £20.00
View offer
Rolson Rolson 10339 16 oz tubular claw hammer

Best value

Rolson Rolson 10339 16 oz tubular claw hammer
9.2/10about £7.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The ounce is the head
  2. 2.Choose 16 oz for ordinary nails
  3. 3.Choose 20 oz when the nails are long and frequent
  4. 4.Leave 8 oz and 11 oz out of this choice

The ounce is the head

Sixteen ounces against twenty ounces compares the steel that strikes the nail. In UK trade labels, 16 oz is about 450 g and 20 oz is about 567 g. The handle is extra mass. Stanley's sheet lists a 453 g head on the FatMax, while Amazon's item weight is 697 g. You can hold about 700 g and still be holding a 16 oz head. The Roughneck title says 20 oz / 567 g, and the amazon row says 82 g. That row is not a 20 oz hammer. Which listing fits which job is on best claw hammer UK.

Choose 16 oz for ordinary nails

Choose 16 oz for doors, skirting, flat-pack and the occasional fence board. BuildWiz UK treats that as the homeowner default. In this comparison the listings that claim 16 oz are the Rolson 10339 at about £7.99, the Stanley FatMax at about £27.95 and the Estwing E16C at about £37.00. A tubular 16 oz can still lose its head if you pry. Stay with 16 oz unless the nails are long and frequent.
Estwing Estwing E16C 16 oz leather grip

Testsieger

Estwing Estwing E16C 16 oz leather grip
9.4/10about £37.00
View offer

Choose 20 oz when the nails are long and frequent

Choose 20 oz when you often drive longer nails into softwood studs. BuildWiz UK uses about 75 mm nails as the worked example. The extra momentum finishes those nails with fewer blows, and a miss marks the timber harder. The only titled 20 oz claw hammer here is the Roughneck Gorilla ROU11010 at about £20.00, 4.7 from 311 reviews. A heavier head does not pull better by itself. The swing is on how to use a claw hammer. Read 567 g from the title. Leave the 82 g row unread.

Leave 8 oz and 11 oz out of this choice

An 8 oz hammer, about 225 g in the head, is for panel pins and picture hooks. An 11 oz title on a 330 g tool is the same family, not a compromise between 16 and 20. Rolson 10334 has 2,791 reviews and is still 8 oz. If the job is pins, buy the 8 oz on purpose. That decision is the claw hammer buying guide. Ordinary nails take a titled 16 oz.

Common questions

Is 16 oz enough for DIY?
Yes, for doors, skirting, flat-pack and occasional fence boards. That is the default BuildWiz UK describes, and it is the class of the Rolson 10339 at about £7.99, the FatMax at about £27.95 and the Estwing E16C at about £37.00. It is light if you spend days driving longer nails into studs. It is heavy if the only nails are panel pins. Match the week you actually have, not the heaviest week you can imagine.
When is 20 oz worth the fatigue?
When longer nails are frequent, not when you want the hammer to look more serious. BuildWiz UK points at about 75 mm nails in softwood studs as that case. You then accept a harder miss and a tireder arm on lighter work. In this set the hammer that claims that weight is the Roughneck at about £20.00, titled 20 oz / 567 g. A single shelf in a flat does not get you there.
Does 16 oz mean the hammer weighs 450 g?
It means the head is sold as about 450 g. The whole hammer can weigh more. The FatMax head is 453 g on the maker sheet and the product weight is 0.697 kg. The Estwing title says 450 g and the item weight is 454 g, close enough that the handle is not adding a second head. The Roughneck's 82 g row is the number to reject, not a second definition of 20 oz.
Which hammers in this comparison are actually 16 oz?
The Rolson 10339, titled 16 oz with a 454 g item weight. The Stanley FatMax FMHT1-51275, titled 450 g / 16 oz, head 453 g on the maker sheet. The Estwing E16C, titled 450 g / 16 oz, item weight 454 g. The Bargain Hound set is titled 16 oz and 8 oz together. The ASelected set's 0.75 kg bullet is a different claim and disagrees with its 250 g item-weight row, so it is not in this 16 oz list.
Is the Roughneck 82 g?
No. The amazon item-weight row says 82 g and the title says 20 oz / 567 g. Roughneck lists code 11-010 as 567 g / 20 oz. Screwfix lists the 20 oz Gorilla at 0.57 kg and £22.99 including VAT. Use 567 g. The 82 g figure is a bad row on the listing, not a lightweight framing hammer.
Are 8 oz and 11 oz in this argument at all?
Only as hammers to set aside. Eight ounces is a pin hammer. The Fadayunn 11 oz title sits on a 330 g item weight and a 27 cm length, which is still a compact tool. They do not split the difference between 16 oz and 20 oz. If that is the size you meant to buy, the buying guide is the page. If you meant a site hammer, go back to the titled 16 oz and 20 oz cards.

Related pages

Curved claw vs straight claw

Hammer

Best claw hammer UK for each job, and who should skip

Claw hammer buying guide: job, then ounces, then the handle

How to use a claw hammer without bending the nails

Sources

Public UK sources listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures used in this comparison, not a fresh check on 22 October 2026.

  1. BuildWiz UK, claw hammer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. BSI, BS 876:1995 Specification for hand hammers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE, types of ladder (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Stanley FatMax FMHT1-51275 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Roughneck V-Series claw hammers (retrieved 22 October 2026)